Question of the Day

Whose side of the story do you believe?

MIAMI (AP) - Your daily look at news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today.

IMMIGRANT GROUPS ASK FOR SHELTER WITHOUT IDS IN ADVANCE OF HURRICANE IRMA

The Florida Immigrant Coalition urged Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Thursday to issue a statement saying the state welcomes people into shelters without checking IDs. Advocacy groups say immigrants are fearful after a Central Florida sheriff posted a Twitter message saying that officers will be checking IDs to keep sex offenders away from families.

DESIGNATION TO GET UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA STATE FUNDS

Tampa Bay Times reports the University of South Florida said Wednesday it achieved “preeminent” designation, which lawmakers decided in 2013 would honor top-tier universities and their budgets. USF president Judy Genshaft made the announcement in her fall address to students. It’ll be determined in winter how much USF will receive. Last year $16 million was available.

Kennedy was closing its doors to all nonessential staff, effective Friday. A crew of about 120 people will ride out the storm on site. Most of the critical buildings at Kennedy are designed to withstand gusts of 125 mph to 135 mph. Irma’s wind could exceed if - and when - it reaches Cape Canaveral. Workers rushed to cover the Orion capsule scheduled to launch in two years on a brand new NASA rocket, the Space Launch System, or SLS.

2 CONFEDERATE MONUMENTS VANDALIZED IN FLORIDA CITY

Officials discovered the vandalism Wednesday at a 63-foot granite monument dedicated to Confederate soldiers in Jacksonville’s Hemming Park and a statue dedicated to women of the Confederacy in Confederate Park. The vandalism follows months of debate between local groups over whether the city should remove the Hemming Park monument, which sits on the doorsteps of City Hall in downtown.

COUPLE CHARGED WITH STEALING FUNDS RAISED FOR FIREFIGHTERS

The Leon County Sheriff’s Office announced in a news release Wednesday that Tallahassee police officer Jennifer Amison and her husband, Tallahassee firefighter Joseph Amison, face charges of organized scheme to defraud, failure to apply contributions in a manner substantially consistent with solicitation and grand theft.